Author: believegod

Jul 27

Check out these mini tech gadgets that make life on the go easier

Do you constantly juggle work and other tasks on the go? Lighten the load—literally—with these mini tech gadgets. Discover them in the blog.

Maybe you’re a busy student running between classes. Or perhaps you work remotely and frequently set up shop anywhere. If you spend ample time out and about each day, then this roundup is for you. We’re highlighting our favorite mini tech gadgets that make life on the go easier.

Related: Problem-solving gadgets and accessories you need in your life

If you need more than just a tablet to get tasks done when away from your typical workspace, consider the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2. It’s travel-friendly at just 2.48 pounds, but it offers a high-speed processor and Windows 11.

Then, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus keeps your command center on your wrist, letting you take calls, respond to text messages, view alerts, monitor your health, and more without opening your phone.

Stay organized, efficient, and comfortable on the go with these cool mini tech gadgets.

1. The ZMI PowerPack 10K charges iPhones, Fitbits, Bluetooth headphones, iPads, and more when you’re far from an electrical outlet.

ZMI PowerPack 10K in use in an office

Never run out of batteries while working from a coffee shop when you have the ZMI PowerPack 10K. It boasts a massive 10,000 mAh battery and works with many devices.

Get it for $19.99 on Amazon.

2. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 makes work on the go easier with its 12.4″ touchscreen and fast 11th-Gen Intel Core processor.

A person gaming on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2

Travel light and still get serious work done with the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2. It weighs just 2.48 pounds and has the smallest touchscreen of all the Surface laptops. Plus, Windows 11, Microsoft 365, and the 11th Gen Intel Processor keep you efficient and collaborative.

Get it for $599.99 on the official website.

3. The AOHI Magcube 120W desktop charger fits in your palm, charges 2 laptops at the same time, and offers up to 100-Watt PD fast-charging.

The AOHI Magcube 120W charging devices

The best portable chargers these days rely on GaN technology, just like the AOHI Magcube 120W desktop charger. This handy little gadget packs a punch: it can fast-charge a MacBook Pro 16″ from 0% to 45% in just half an hour, making it one of our favorite mini tech gadgets.

Get it for $89.99 on the official website.

4. The Tribit StormBox Micro 2 portable speaker is pocket size and charges your devices while playing music when you’re out.

Tribit StormBox Micro 2 portable speaker in use

Keep a speaker and a charger in your back pocket: the Tribit StormBox Micro 2 portable speaker. It offers a built-in USB-C charging port and plays music with a range of up to 120 feet.

Get it for $59.99 on the official website.

5. The nuka eternal stationery includes an app-powered rewritable notebook and metal pencil. It keeps your handwritten digital

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Jul 27

Mat Fraser Talks Programming First Full Competition: “Everything came out perfectly, it was so much fun”

Photo Credit: Steffi Dipp (@sdippanico)

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CanWest Games organizer Mike McLean thought he might be throwing a Hail Mary when he reached out to five-time CrossFit Games champion Mat Fraser last fall to see if Fraser and his company HWPO Training would program the CanWest Games.

To McLean’s surprise, HWPO’s CEO Matt O’Keefe responded to the email almost immediately—at 11 PM no less—and before McLean knew it, the five-time champ’s company had agreed to program all 35 divisions at the 725-athlete competition that was held last weekend just outside of Vancouver in British Columbia.

Fraser’s reason for taking on a relatively small, yet re-emerging event in British Columbia was simple: “It was such a great opportunity to program a full three day competition,” Fraser told the Morning Chalk Up in an exclusive interview at the CanWest Games on Sunday.

A great opportunity and a learning experience for Fraser, as it was HWPO’s first time programming a full competition that included various divisions.

“It’s such a process. It’s a lot more involved than I expected, because it’s not just, ‘Alright, here are the tests that we want.’ It’s what equipment is available? What stages are available? How many competitors? How is it scalable?”

When asked if the experience gave him more of an appreciation for what programming the CrossFit Games must he like, Fraser said that he has “always had an appreciation for people that program competitions, because, and I have always said this, there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes. There are so many moving parts. There are so many different things, the different divisions, the stages, the timing,” he said.

“When you see a competition and something doesn’t go on schedule, I have always looked at it like, “Oh, I wonder what’s going on that we don’t know about?’…I want to know what chaos is going on behind the scenes,” Fraser added.

While the logistics of programming a three-day competition might cause some to shy away from the task, it’s a challenge Fraser wants more of.

In fact, programming more competitions in the CrossFit space is one of his companies’ goals, Fraser explained, and eventually they used CanWest Games as “the test run” for the future—a test run Fraser couldn’t have been happier with.

“Everything came out perfectly (at the CanWest Games),” Fraser said. “It was so much fun. The amount of positive feedback we have been getting from the athletes has been very encouraging.”

Coming up soon for Fraser is the Madrid Championship in Spain in September, a competition with 2,400 athletes and a €170,000 prize purse—including €30,000 for the individual winners—where Fraser and his HWPO team will be taking on all of the programming.

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Jul 27

From burgers to gadgets, stressed consumers buy cheap

NEW YORK/LONDON, July 26 (Reuters) – Some global consumers are showing signs of cracking, as shoppers stressed by record inflation stick to buying basics like food, bleach and cheap burgers, while those with bigger bank accounts are snapping up $3,000 Louis Vuitton handbags.

Investors are closely watching second quarter corporate results for signs economies are headed toward a recession. But so far consumers are sending mixed signals. There is weakness seen in those that have been hit hardest by record fuel and food prices. Meanwhile, credit card and other data shows some are still spending on travel and other high-end pursuits. read more

Walmart (WMT.N) sounded a warning shot on Monday, issuing a rare profit warning. Its US customers, who tend to come from lower-income households, are buying food and other essentials while skipping aisles filled with clothes and sporting goods. read more

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“The results overnight indicate that the US consumer is now much more focused on the staples element of shopping where we’ve got double-digit food inflation coming through in some of these retailers,” said Nicola Morgan-Brownsell, fund manager at Legal & General Investment Management.

US consumer confidence fell for a third straight month in July amid persistent worries about higher inflation and rising interest rates. read more

Sales at luxury group LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (LVMH.PA) climbed 19% in the second quarter, slightly lower than earlier this year. Handbag and high-end liquor sales in Europe and the United States helped offset slowdowns stemming from COVID-19 lockdowns in China. read more

And payment processor Visa (VN) said cross-border volume jumped 40% reflecting a summer travel boom and some consumer resilience. read more

But softer consumer demand hits video gaming revenue at Xbox maker Microsoft (MSFT.O), which posted a 7% drop in Xbox-related revenue and expects a further contraction this quarter. Microchip maker Texas Instruments (TXN.O) saw weaker demand from consumers for personal electronics.

BUYING, BUT FOR HOW LONG?

Consumer giants Coca Cola Co (KO.N), McDonald’s Corp (MCD.N) and Unilever Plc (ULVR.L) all said on Tuesday that their products are still selling, even at higher prices.

Unilever, which has 400 brands including Hellmann’s mayonnaise, Knorr stock cubes and Domestos bleach, raised its full-year sales guidance after beating first-half underlying sales forecasts as it hiked prices. read more

So far consumers are buying, but there is a question around how long that can last.

“We see price increases when we go out to do a weekly shop. The question is: how much more accepting can the consumer be on those price increases?” said Ashish Sinha, portfolio manager at Unilever and Reckitt (RKT.L) shareholder Gabelli.

McDonald’s which operates nearly 40,000 restaurants, said its global same-store sales jumped almost 10%, much better than the expectation for an increase of 6.5%. read more

Even so, the Chicago-based company said it is considering whether to add more discounted menu options because soaring inflation, particularly in Europe, is leading some lower-income consumers to “trade-down” to

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Jul 27

Meet Old East Dallas’ maker of musical gadgets

The first musical gadget Richard Upchurch made was a gift for his four-year-old nephew — it was a simple wooden box with a button to record a sound, a button to play it back and a knob to speed up or slow down the audio .

“I call it anti-technology technology,” said Upchurch, who toured for years as a guitarist.

The "Loopy Lou" voice recorder created by Upchurch is BrandNewNoise's best selling device.
The “Loopy Lou” voice recorder created by Upchurch is BrandNewNoise’s best selling device.(Richard Upchurch)

His nephew showed it to his teachers, who wanted to buy one, so Upchurch made five more. Over a decade later, Upchurch now makes the contracts full-time for his Dallas-based company, BrandNewNoise.

What started with an “old-school tape recorder concept in this playful box,” he said, now includes a range of handmade “experimental instruments,” including miniaturized pianos, harmonicas and xylophones, all of which have recording capabilities. The bestseller, Loopy Lou, runs $72.25, and resembles the toy he made his nephew those many years ago.

“People are like, ‘Who’s it for?’ And I was like, ‘Well, it’s for 4-year-olds and rock stars,’” says Upchurch, who opened a workshop for BrandNewNoise in Old East Dallas in 2017. “They’re kind of the same person. They’re curious, free minds.”

The list of rockstar clientele, indeed, is long. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac and country star Brad Paisley all count themselves among Upchurch’s patrons. But why, when these A-list musicians have access to cutting-edge, industry-grade audio equipment?

“There’s a freedom and charm to the simplicity,” said Upchurch. “Yes, you can probably do this on your iPhone. But there’s something about the fact that what I make is singular in its use, and it sounds unique, and it’s tactile, and it’s immediate.”

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